The Powers That B (CD) [Explicit]

Death Grips

Amoeba Review

03/31/2015

Remember when rap-rock was a bad thing, before Death Grips came along and radically re-created the genre? That’s not really fair to Death Grips—they basically created their own genre of aggressive electro noise, Zach Hill’s wildman drumming and MC Ride’s berserk raps. The Powers That B might be the last Death Grips album, since the band announced it was disbanding last year, and accordingly, the trio plays through The Powers That B as if their lives depend on it—or, perhaps more appropriately, like they’re on a suicide mission. From the get-go, Disc Two doesn’t let up, starting with out-of-breath spring “I Break Mirrors With My Face in the United States.” From there, we rev up through “Inanimate Session,” which starts literally sounding and feeling like the uphill chug of a roller coaster before the inevitable set of winding loops that unsettle your sense of balance. By comparison to its opening tracks, the robot-metal of a track like “Why a Bitch Gotta Lie” may feel like a reprieve; at the very least, it’s a worthy entry point, as is the nearly danceable caveman-stomper “Beyond Alive” and epic “On GP.” Although Death Grips aren’t really about accessibility, Jenny Death is the most engaging thing they’ve done in some time, since their breakthrough release, The Money Store. Meanwhile, the previously online-only first disc, Niggas on the Moon, features Bjork samples warped into hyper-real chirps and percussive elements; it’s a more difficult listen, but one that fans of Death Grips’ extremism should appreciate. Taken together, it’s an utterly intense listen; you may not remember your own name after taking in two discs of Death Grips’ unrelenting force, which means it’s the consummate way to experience Death Grips.